About IMX

IMX is a high-quality, standard definition, MPEG-2-based video format created by Sony. Both NTSC and PAL video standards are supported.

IMX is not bound to a particular tape format or transmission method; IMX can just as easily be stored on tape, hard disk, or optical disc. In addition to standard video signal transfers via analog component and SDI interfaces, SDTI and Ethernet interfaces can be used to transfer native IMX data.

IMX bridges the gap between traditional video formats and computer-based post-production systems by encapsulating video and audio data within an increasingly popular data format known as MXF.

IMX Formats Supported by Final Cut Pro

IMX can be recorded using NTSC or PAL video standards at three possible bit rates (30, 40, and 50 Mbps). Final Cut Pro supports real-time editing and effects using the 30, 40, and 50 Mbps IMX formats.

Format

Frame dimensions

Data rate

IMX - NTSC

720 x 486

30, 40, and 50 Mbps

IMX - PAL

720 x 576

30, 40, and 50 Mbps

About MXF

Material eXchange Format (MXF) is a generic media container format for the video industry. It is not a compression scheme or specific video type, but rather a container for storage and transmission of video, audio, and associated metadata. An MXF container is similar in concept to a QuickTime movie, which is a general-purpose media container that can contain video and audio with various dimensions, codecs, sample rates, and so on.

For example, the IMX format stores MPEG-2-compressed video and audio within an MXF container. However, because MXF is not codec-specific, it can contain video compressed with other codecs as well, such as DVCAM. Panasonic P2 cards can store DV, DVCPRO, DVCPRO 50, and DVCPRO HD data within an MXF wrapper. The MXF wrapper facilitates transfer and storage of specialized media data within general-purpose computer systems and across multiple media types.